Automated teller machines or ATMs are well-known and are used by customers for ease of convenience to carry out banking and other financial functions. ATMs are normally available for access at any time and may perform functions similar to that of typical banking teller windows. These functions may include cash withdrawals, depositing money, account transfers, balance inquiries, general banking functions and the like. If an ATM is associated with a particular bank or financial institution, the ATM may perform that financial institution's protocol such as display that financial institution's interface or otherwise perform transactions associated with that financial institution. ATMs can be located in a variety of locations beyond the premises of brick-and-mortar locations of financial institution or banks. Examples of such locations include convenience stores, grocery stores, malls and the like.
Generally, ATMs are data terminals with one or more input and output devices. ATMs typically communicate through and are operably connected to a host processor. The host processor is a gateway through which all the various ATM networks become available to the user of the ATM, which in most instances is a cardholder. Most host processors can support either leased-line, dial-up machines or the like. For example, leased-line machines connect directly to the host processor through dedicated telephone line. Dial-up ATMs connect to the host processor through a normal phone line using a modem and a toll-free number, or through an Internet service provider using a local access number dialed by modem. Leased-line ATMs are preferred for very high-volume locations because of their thru-put capability, and dial-up ATMs are preferred for retail merchant locations where cost is a greater factor than thru-put. The host processor may be owned by a bank or financial institution, or it may be owned by an independent service provider. Bank-owned processors normally support only bank-owned machines, whereas the independent processors can support merchant-owned machines.
The convenience of use and the offering of a wide variety of banking and financial functions are crucial in building up the brand image and goodwill associated with a particular banking or financial institution. For example, when a user accesses an ATM associated with his/her financial institution, the user is exposed to the window screen or display screen/interfaces specific to the user's financial institution. Such interfaces can incorporate trademarks, branding or advertisement associated with the financial institution.
However, typically, an ATM is associated with only one financial institution. Thus, a user of a particular ATM is exposed to the financial intuition associated with the particular ATM, regardless of whether the user is a customer of the financial institution. In other words, a user accessing a typical ATM with a card or user device would process a transaction through one financial institution's display screens and/or interface, which include features specific to that financial institution. When the ATM associated with a financial institution that is not the financial institution with which the user is affiliated, the user is exposed to the branding of that financial institution, e.g., displays, trademarks, etc. associated with the financial institution. For example, when a Bank 1 customer uses an ATM affiliated with Bank 2, the display screens and interfaces to which a user is exposed are those associated with Bank 2.
Moreover, in such an event, the user is normally charged a fee because the user is not affiliated with the ATM's associated financial institution, i.e., a “foreign fee” or an “off-us fees.” Referring to FIG. 1, banks and financial institutions had begun to charge “foreign fees” or “off-us fees” in hopes of preventing a loss in market share, particularly losing customers to other banks to which a user may be constantly exposed. Previously, banks and financial institutions had absorbed the costs associated with customers using non-affiliated ATMs (i.e., interchange and switching fees). In addition, aside from a bank or financial institution charging a “foreign fee” or an “off-us fee” for a customer using an non-affiliated ATM, the customer is also assessed a surcharge by the non-affiliated owner (e.g., non-affiliated bank) of the ATM. The surcharge is generally given to the bank, financial institution or other entity that owns the ATM.
For example, a Bank 1 customer who continually uses an ATM affiliated with Bank 2, perhaps because of convenience of location, may over time grow accustom to Bank 2 and/or prefer the services, displays, features or interfaces associated with Bank 2. Eventually, the Bank 1 customer in this example switches from Bank 1 to Bank 2 because of such reasons or because the user dislikes paying the “foreign fee” every time he or she uses the Bank 2-affiliated ATM. Since over the course of the past several decades, a substantially increasing amount of users were transacting business through ATMs (many of whom use ATMs as their primary source of contact with a bank), banks and financial institutions tout that customers using “bank affiliated” ATMs will not be charged with a fee. However, although many customers will seek out ATMs that have a minimal or zero transaction costs, many customers will continue to use non-bank-affiliated ATM and pay the “foreign fees” for a variety of reasons such as convenience of location, effort to find, and other personal reasons.
Accordingly, there is a present need to overcome the aforementioned problems and allow users access to such user's financial institution display systems regardless of the ATM being used.